Wales's head coach, Warren Gatland, at the Millennium Stadium before his team's 16-9 Six Nations defeat of France. Photograph: Stu Forster/Getty Images

Wales are getting used to grand slams but after their third in eight seasons their focus is on ending the boom-and-bust cycle that has beset them since the end of the 1970s. Success has tended to be followed by prolonged failure but, as the Wales coach, Warren Gatland, celebrated over the weekend, he was preparing for an assault on the southern hemisphere.

Gatland accepts that, for all the strides they have made in the 52 months that he has been in charge – their success rate of 72% in the Six Nations in that time compares with 80% in the 1970s, 46% in the 1980s and 31% in the 1990s – Wales have to measure themselves by results against the major southern hemisphere teams, starting with this summer's three-Test tour to Australia.

Unlike 2005 and 2008 this year's grand slam had a solid foundation. Wales made the semi-finals of the World Cup, unfortunate to lose to France by a point after playing for the final hour with 14 men, and while in the past the heartache of such a narrow defeat would have lingered long and had a mentally draining effect, a young side that is mature beyond its years resolved before leaving New Zealand that the only way of salving the bitter disappointment was to win the grand slam.

Wales are a team that look forward, not back. Perhaps now, finally, the long shadow that was cast over future generations by the feats of the 1970s, even if they did not include a victory over the All Blacks or South Africa, can be replaced with light. They once again have players with reputations to make.

Wales won the grand slam for the 11th time but they have all come in clusters: three in four seasons from 1908, two at the beginning of the 1950s, three in the 1970s and three since 2005. Gatland has the chance to make history but is the overwhelming favourite to coach the Lions in Australia next year and would be required to take a year's sabbatical from Wales, starting from the end of the season.

Gatland's management team has been with him since the end of 2007 so there would be an element of continuity, but as a leader he has not been afraid to promote players who have not been regulars for their regions or who had just broken through: Sam Warburton, George North, Toby Faletau, Alex Cuthbert, Rhys Priestland, Scott Williams and Lloyd Williams were examples on Saturday of his ability to spot talent before others and the Welsh Rugby Union will fight hard to minimise the duration of a sabbatical.

"Welsh rugby became used to a feast or famine culture," said the WRU chairman, David Pickering. "The glut of grand slams in the 1970s spoiled us: we expected something special to happen every season and when it did not we simply stood there wringing our hands in disbelief. We have learned from the years of famine and now we have a new breed of stars to gloat over, the union is a £50m-plus company whose job is to plan for success."

Gatland has turned Wales into a hard-nosed, pragmatic side in his own image, something he did not have time to do in 2008. On Saturday, France kept probing for weaknesses but could not find any, despite the best efforts of their incomparable captain, Thierry Dusautoir. Wales have in the past been excitable, paying for lapses in concentration, but they have been resolute, calculated and iron-willed in this tournament.

Their one try on Saturday came from a moment of opportunism after Dusautoir, of all players, had been turned over; the certainty of chance. The ball was quickly moved to Alex Cuthbert who, 40 metres out, left two forwards floundering before being confronted with Clément Poitrenaud as the last line of defence. The full-back braced himself for the impact of the wing who, in kit, is virtually 17st only to find, as he closed his eyes, that the wing had switched tracks.

Wales had earned the position thanks to the flanker Dan Lydiate, a silent assassin in the mould of Dai Morris, the wearer of the No6 jersey in the early 1970s. Lydiate thwarted France's first meaningful attack by tackling Florian Fritz and, after France had been penalised, won the lineout that Wales used to hoist a garryowen. Dusautoir had just received a pass when he was taken low by Lydiate, Alun Wyn Jones stole the ball and Lydiate played scrum-half for Priestland to free Cuthbert.

It was Wales's 10th try in the tournament, all scored by three-quarters and they conceded three. Leigh Halfpenny, who used his late long-range penalty miss in the semi-final against France as motivation rather than a source of grief, kept them a score ahead of France with his boot after failing to take Wales's first kick, which saw Priestland hit the post, because he had been receiving treatment after being tackled by Fritz.

Wales will on Monday night be the guests at a Welsh government reception to which supporters have been invited but Gatland's thoughts are already on Australia. Wales will need at some point to offer more variety in midfield – James Hook remained on the bench on Saturday as there was never a point when Wales needed to force the game. That will not be lost on Gatland but Wales are a difficult team to beat, as they showed when coming from behind to win in Ireland and England. There is a hint of New Zealand about them in the patient way they wait for the right moment and it is against the best in the south that North & Co will be judged.